[Suprasellar germinoma: two case reports]

Suprasellar germinomas are frequent in childhood and adolescence, particularly in male sex. The clinical and neuroendocrine abnormalities depend of tumor localization: Increased intracranial pressure, visual disturbances, hypopituitarism, Parinaud syndrome. We report two cases of suprasellar germinoma in young male patients (16 and 18 years old). The first patient hrad corticotorpin insufficiency and clinical signs of hypothyroïdism and hypogonadism. The second had central hypocorticism, hypothyroïdism and hypogonadism associated with central diabetes insipidus and hyperprolactinemia. The diagnosis of germinoma was confirmed after surgery by anatomopathologic examination in the first case and by stereotaxic biopsy in the second case. Treatment by radiotherapy improves prognosis of this disease.